a conflict that has lasted six months

On the front line, no respite, six months after the start of the war in Ukraine. However, Monday, August 22, the positions seem almost fixed. The Russians have conquered 82,000 km² since March, about twice the size of Switzerland, but have only gained a few hundred km² since the beginning of the summer. “Morale is higher than on the first day of the war, when we were constantly losing ground against the Russians. But it’s lower than when everyone expected the Russian forces to collapse.“, says a Ukrainian soldier, from the trenches.

The Russians fail to capture all of Donbass to the east. They are trying to advance on Bakhmout, but have suffered heavy losses: 80,000 dead or wounded soldiers according to the American services, and 5,240 vehicles destroyed or immobilized.

They would no longer have the ability to fly over Ukrainian airspace. In the conquered territories, they opt for a strategy of “Russification“, with the distribution of passports and patriotic ceremonies. Ukraine, for its part, is betting on tactical strikes. The country’s forces have managed to retake a few kilometers near Izioumet in the suburbs of Kherson. They are also increasing the bombardments, and seem to be preparing a counter-offensive, targeting bridges, ammunition depots, and even the headquarters of the Russian fleet in Crimea.

Despite heavy losses, the Ukrainian army seems stronger than three months ago, due in particular to international support and advanced weapons delivered by the West. Xavier Tytelman, aeronautics expert, however, raises the possibility “that [l’]we stay on a front that would be frozen“.